Lemon Brownies are my new favorite dessert. Topped with a delicious lemon glaze, they are just the right mix of fresh lemon and sweetness. Here is not one, but two ways to make this delicious treat.
We’ve made some other great lemon recipes like Lemon Blueberry Donuts, Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes and Lemon Sweet Rolls. Go check those out next!
As much as I am crazy for chocolate, I do love finding new ways to bake without that classic ingredient. It’s fun to spice it up and try something new! Lemon is a fun way to do that.
Why Call These Lemon Brownies?
These lemon bars have more of a brownie texture: they’re moist and dense. This recipe is going to look a lot like your usual brownie recipe, but of course no cocoa or chocolate chips. We. They’re both delicious! We also included an easier version using a cake mix for when you are in a hurry. Both are delicious!
Ingredients for Homemade Brownies
Butter – unsalted and softened.
Sugar – every good dessert needs it.
Lemon Zest – see about for notes on zesting.
Fresh Lemon Juice – straight from a lemon has the best flavor.
Flour – all purpose.
Baking Soda– to make the mixture rise.
Eggs– this will bind the ingredients together.
Lemon Zest
If you’re new to lemon zesting, it is easiest to use the tool made for this job: a lemon zester. (Genius name, right?) But if you don’t have one and are in a pinch a veggie peeler will work. Make sure you wash your lemon before.
Lemon Brownies Glaze
This is the most yummy part of all – the glaze! All you need is three ingredients: lemon zest, lemon juice and powdered sugar. It’s very sweet and a bit tangy at the same time.
How To Make Homemade Lemon Brownies
- Mix together the dry ingredients and wet ingredients (minus the egg) separately.
- Combine the two mixtures then add one egg at a time.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes and let it cool.
- Make the glaze and pour over the cooled brownies.
Ingredients for Lemon Cake Mix Brownies
- Yellow Cake Mix
- Lemon Instant Pudding
- Eggs
- Lemon Juice
- Lemon Zest
How To Make Lemon Cake Mix Brownies
- Mix all five ingredients together in a bowl.
- Pour into an 8×8 baking dish and bake for 22-24 minutes.
- Make the glaze and pour over the cooled brownies.
You’re going to adore these lemon brownies recipes, and all your friends will be begging for the recipe!
Other Lemon Desserts You Will Love
Pink Lemonade Cheesecake Bites
Lemon Brownies
Ingredients
Brownie Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Lemon Glaze Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons lemon zest
Cake Mix Version
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounces box yellow cake mix
- 1 box lemon pudding
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
Directions for Homemade
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper.
- Using a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.
- Using a standing mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest until light and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs, one at a time until combined.
- Gradually beat in the dry ingredients until combined.
- Pour batter into the baking pan and bake in the oven for 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs. Make sure to not over bake.
- Allow to completely cool on the counter.
Lemon Glaze
- Using a large mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest until combined.
- Pour the glaze over the lemon bars and spread evenly.
- Allow to harden overnight before enjoying!
Directions for Cake Mix
- Line an 8” square baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray so that the brownies lift out easily.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- With a hand mixer, combine the cake mix, pudding, lemon juice, eggs, and lemon zest in a medium sized mixing bowl. Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Bake for 22-24 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted in the center and come out clean or with only crumbs (no wet batter). Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Proceed as directed above for glaze.
Last Step:
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265 comments on “Lemon Brownies”
These are seriously delicious. Easy to make, and you do have to wait overnight. I did increase the lemon juice in the glaze by two tablespoons & added a generous dollop of lemon curd. Also zested some lime over the icing for s bit of color. They were a hit at a luncheon I went to, refreshing on a hot day . Can’t wait to try more recipes
Hi there. I really like the sound of this recipe and am dying to try it out but I’m from Ireland and am used to different measures. What is a C equal to? Please explain when you get a chance. Grammes or ounces, U don’t mind. Also is this an American recipe?
Hello, my husband has a gluten/dairy allergy. Can you tell me what to use in place of the flour? Thank you
Has anyone used almond flour or cassava flour for these instead of all purpose?
Is there a way to print the recipe with a photo? Love the recipes but would like to save them with a photo of what the finished product will look like.
This calls for a total of 5 Tbsp of lemon zest. How many lemons are needed for that amount?
Not being a chocolate lover, this was a delicious alternative! Great to share with neighbours!
I would luv some of these right now! !
Do you need to refrigerate them?
Looks divine. I would love to try it
How do I make this gluten free?
To make these GF, I simply substituted regular flour for King Arthur Flour’s Baking Mix, cup-for-cup. Might take an extra 5 minutes to bake, but they came out perfect and delicious. Another flour I like to use is Pamela’s Artisan Blend.
These are delicious and perfect for summer. I made them Gluten Free as my son has Celiac disease. I substituted an all-purpose GF flour blend and they turned out great. We served them at a 4th of July bbq and everyone loved the! No one knew they were GF.
These are delicious! My only issue is that I baked mine for only 22 minutes and they still were a little overdone for me – a bit cakey, but not dry. Could just be my oven. Will lessen my baking time when I try again. Great recipe!
How many people does this serve?
Wish you had an easy way to pin to Pinterest from your page.
How are these different than Lemon Bars?
Lemon bars tend to have a harder, almost cookie like base, and a soft cake/custard top, dusted with powdered sugar. These are more like a brownie, without the chocolate.
How can I add this to my Pinterest?
If you hover of the picture you will see a pinterest button…click on that.
Made these today for my husband for Father’s Day. The texture was a little more cake like than a fudgy texture. I attribute this to using a gas oven, which I am still getting used to, and maybe baking a little long. Or it could be that they didn’t sit overnight and soak up some of the glaze. We ate them about an hour after they were glazed. It was very moist and everyone loved them. I am not a huge lemon fan, but I thought they tasted nice. I think the zest could be cut down a little in the icing. I used a vegetable peeler to get very thin strips of the peel off an then chopped it into tiny pieces with my knife and it worked well. Also, I refused to call them “brownies”, so we dubbed them “Lemon Yellowies”.
I just made these, they turned out okay. My batter was more of a cake consistency, not brownie. Also, I didn’t watch the video first….I added one egg at a time and mixed it, just as the directions stated. On the video it shows all eggs added at once and then mixed. Also, the directions stated add a little of the dry mixture to the wet mix, then add more. The video shows all the wet mixture added to the dry mixture and mixed one time. Possibly I should follow the video next time and not the written directions. I think it was all over mixed
The glaze turned out wonderful!! I will make this again.
Yes although they turned out OK, they were a little cakey.
Taste was fine.
Does this freeze well?